2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid problems

SERVICE BRAKES

1. The ABS system failed upon inspection at a dealership. Specifically the ABS accumulator and booster. 2. The ABS system put us at risk by failing prematurely, and traction control and ABS functions seemingly stopped working while driving on the road. 3. Yes, dealership confirmed the issue with a full diagnostic, and the part has a customer support program bulletin/TSB out for this specific issue. 4. inspected by manufacturer dealership service center. 5. Lights such as the parking brake, ABS, and (!) lit up while driving and the failure occurred at the same time.

NHTSA complaint #11610069 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

WHEELS

Today 05/25/2024 noticed a slight camber on the right rear wheel. Jacked up the car and removed the right rear to take a closer look and realized the rear axle/subframe was splitting in half along the weld point. If I hadn't caught this today and my daughter was driving it I'm confident she or others would have been killed or severely injured since most of her driving is highway related. The part that is blowing my mind is the vehicle was at the dealership twice in the last month and no one noticed when on a lift. The car is now permanently on jack stands till it can be repaired. I'm not sure it will even hold together to get onto a tow truck. I will not attempt driving do to safety specially others. I witnessed a tire go through a vehicle resulting in the death of someone.

NHTSA complaint #11590779 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SUSPENSION

Today 05/25/2024 noticed a slight camber on the right rear wheel. Jacked up the car and removed the right rear to take a closer look and realized the rear axle/subframe was splitting in half along the weld point. If I hadn't caught this today and my daughter was driving it I'm confident she or others would have been killed or severely injured since most of her driving is highway related. The part that is blowing my mind is the vehicle was at the dealership twice in the last month and no one noticed when on a lift. The car is now permanently on jack stands till it can be repaired. I'm not sure it will even hold together to get onto a tow truck. I will not attempt driving do to safety specially others. I witnessed a tire go through a vehicle resulting in the death of someone.

NHTSA complaint #11590779 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving down a winding road, the brake warning light and brake message suddenly activated and while depressing the brake pedal, the pedal extended to the floorboard and the vehicle would not immediately stop. The vehicle was later taken to the local service center who diagnosed that the brake booster, brake master cylinder, and brake booster pump assembly were faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the vehicle did not qualify for the manufacturers extended coverage regarding the failure. The failure mileage was 130,000.

NHTSA complaint #11581169 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH, the stabili-trak, ABS, and a several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated there were also audible alarms being sounded. The contact depressed the brake pedal and the brake pedal failed to respond. The contact stated that she was able to coast the vehicle off the highway and shifted into park(P) and turned off the vehicle. The contact turned off and turned on the vehicle and attempted to depress the brake pedal; however, the brake pedal was abnormally firm. The contact had the vehicle towed to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the brake booster pump assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

NHTSA complaint #11548466 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SERVICE BRAKES

2012 level 5 plug-in I was driving on the freeway with radar cruise control and the vehicle dash lit up with check pcs system ever warning light came on the brake petal was not there as normal it would go about half way down to engage very scary I took it to the dealership service said I need new brake booster installed not covered under warranty 130k miles

NHTSA complaint #11545308 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SERVICE BRAKES

Brakes failed while I was slowing down for a speed trap; if I had been stopping for traffic I would have been in somebody's back seat. There was already a class action lawsuit about this that Toyota settled out of court. We were supposed to receive notice about the extended warranty related to this but did not; additionally the dealership lied to us on two different occasions about our brakes being fine after they started behaving differently. If the dealership hadn't lied in both 2020, and 2022, my life wouldn't have been in jeopardy, and we wouldn't be paying thousands of dollars to fix a defective part. Why are you putting so many people's lives at risk by not forcing Toyota to issue a recall? All their hybrid braking systems over a decade of models have this issue. The hybrid specialist mechanic we ended up with said he sees several cars a week with this issue.

NHTSA complaint #11520412 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SERVICE BRAKES

The brake booster pump started pressuurizing frequently last year around 140,000 miles. Error lights and less responsive breaks this year so I called Toyota service they said bring it in. They said repair is over $3000. The mileage was just over 150000 and just over 10 year extended warranty I didn't know about for this problem coded c1391

NHTSA complaint #11501936 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SERVICE BRAKES

The brake pressure pump comes on every 2 seconds. The warning lights on the dash are on for brakes and abs. The car still stops but it reacts slower to pedal pressure. Dealer says it needs master cylinder and actuator pump for 3000$ at least. It is available for inspection, has 155,000 miles now, but pump has been hyperactive for about 12 mo. May be a hazard now, may fail completely ,I don't know. But too expensive to me to fix. Has only been inspected by autonation Toyota, not police etc. Pump was overactive for a year but right after anautomatic car wash the lights came on an the brake pedal got mushy. Then I called dealer. Apparently a common problem that was a recall for 2010 and silent recall after for later model gen 3s.

NHTSA complaint #11492460 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SERVICE BRAKES

I bought a first generation Toyota Prius PHEV in 2012. Apparently a Customer Support Program notice was sent out two years ago which I never received. For the last year or so my Prius has made a hissing sound when I stepped on the brakes unless I push extra hard on the pedal. Didn’t think anything of it until last month several lights went off. I took it to Big O Tires and they added brake fluid and the lights went away. Next month it went off again, I took it back and they suggested taking it to a dealer. I take it to Tustin Toyota they diagnose it as a Brake Booster and Pump problem. My issue is that I never received a mailer or email like I did for previous recalls. I did transfer ownership to my wife a while back, so I don’t know if that DMV administrative change impacted the mailer. It is a safety concern as my wife drives our two kids and the brake had signs but we did not take it in to the dealer until the failure lights lit up 11 months after the expiration. Is there a chance that a Customer Support Program becomes a Recall if NHTSA receives enough complaints?

NHTSA complaint #11481174 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SERVICE BRAKES

MY 2012 PLUG-IN PRIUS CAME UP WITH A C1391 CODE. THE ABS, BRAKE AND BRAKE SKID LIGHTS CAME ON. I HAVE NO RE-GEN BRAKING AND WHEN I ACTUALLY BRAKE IT SEEMS VERY SLUGGISH.

NHTSA complaint #11387560 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

WHILE STOPPED IN A PARKING LOT, FOOT BRAKE PRESSED,TRANSMISSION IN DRIVE, WHEN OPENING DRIVERS DOOR AND FOOT BRAKE RELEASED CAR STILL MOVES FORWARD. IT SHOULD GO INTO PARK AUTOMATIC BUT DOES NOT.

NHTSA complaint #11319211 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

HEADLIGHTS KEEP BURNING OUT. BOTH SIDES. ABOUT EVERY FOUR MONTHS. THIS IS DANGEROUS!!! AND UNNECESSARILY EXPENSIVE!!!

NHTSA complaint #11296797 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

AUTO STOPPED. ENGINE RUNNING. BRAKE PEDAL PRESSED. TRANSMISSION IN DRIVE. WHEN OPENING DRIVER DOOR AND RELEASING BRAKE PEDAL, CAR MOVES FORWARD. VIN INCLUDED IN ATTACHED FILE.

NHTSA complaint #11235273 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 TOYOTA PRIUS PLUG-IN HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, THE ECO MODE SHOWED LESS FUEL PER MILE. THERE WAS NO WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO NALLEY TOYOTA OF ROSWELL (404-994-5422, LOCATED AT 11130 ALPHARETTA HWY, ROSWELL, GA 30076) TO BE DIAGNOSED, BUT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE BEGAN AFTER IT WAS REPAIRED PER NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 17V718000 (HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM). THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND PROVIDED CASE NUMBER: 1812050132. THE CONTACT WAS REFERRED TO NHTSA. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 105,000.

NHTSA complaint #11181343 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

I'M DRIVING AROUND 60MPH AND SUDDENLY THE ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL LIGHT WENT ON AND THE ALL WHEELS SUDDENLY BRAKED. IT'S JUST SO DANGEROUS, GOOD THING NO BODY BEHIND ME AT THAT MOMENT. THIS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES. THE CAR COULD BRAKE SUDDENLY BY ITSELF WITHOUT WARNING EVEN WHEN IT'S HIGH SPEED OR LOW SPEED. THERE'S A CLICKING NOISE UNDER THE DASHBOARD. THIS IS BECAUSE OF THE MALFUNCTION OF ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL IN THE PRIUS. IT COULD CAUSE THE CAR BRAKE BY ITSELF WITHOUT WARNING AND COULD CAUSE BIG ACCIDENT, ESPECIALLY IN THE FREEWAY.

NHTSA complaint #11165382 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

NOTHING HAPPENED YET, BUT I AM CONCERNED ABOUT NUMEROUS REPORTS OF THE INVERTER FAILING AND CAUSING SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER. I UNDERSTAND THIS IS STILL HAPPENING DESPITE AFFECTED CARS HAVING RECEIVED A SOFTWARE UPDATE TO "PREVENT" THE ISSUE. DURING AN EMERGENCY, REGENERATIVE SYSTEMS PREVENT THESE CARS FROM SWIFTLY COASTING OUT OF THE TRAVEL LANE AS OTHER CARS WOULD DO. INSTEAD, THE CAR WILL ACT LIKE THE BRAKES HAVE BEEN SLAMMED ON, CAUSING A SERIOUS HAZARD. I READ ABOUT THIS HERE HTTPS://TOYOTATALK.COM/TOYOTA-PRIUS-HYBRID-INVERTER/

NHTSA complaint #11114443 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

ENGINE OIL GETTING TO THE INTAKE MANIFOLD. AND FILLING UP WITH OIL. THROTTLE BODY GETS REALLY DIRTY WITH OIL. IN TURN THE ENGINE BURNS OIL. WHICH CLOGS UP THE EGR SYSTEM. THE ENGINE WOULD OVER HEAT WHICH COULD CAUSE THE HEAD GASKET TO BLOW. DURING WINTER MONTHS. ENGINE RESTARTS WOULD BE HARSH BECAUSE IT WOULD HAVE CONDESAION ON THE CYCLINDER THIS COULD CAUSE THE ENGINE TO BLOW. BROKEN CONNECTING RODS. BLOWN HEAD GASKET ALL SORT OF THINGS COULD HAPPEN FROM HAVING OIL GET TO THE INTAKE MANIFOLD. STARTING FROM 2010 THESE PRIUS SUFFER FROM THIS AND TOYOTA HASNT DONE ANYTHING OTHER THEN SUPPSODELLY REDESIGNING THE INTAKE MANIFOLD. WHICH IS THE SAME. TOYOTA JUST DONT WANT TO DEAL WITH IT.

NHTSA complaint #11104266 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

ENGINE OIL GETTING TO THE INTAKE MANIFOLD. AND FILLING UP WITH OIL. THROTTLE BODY GETS REALLY DIRTY WITH OIL. IN TURN THE ENGINE BURNS OIL. WHICH CLOGS UP THE EGR SYSTEM. THE ENGINE WOULD OVER HEAT WHICH COULD CAUSE THE HEAD GASKET TO BLOW. DURING WINTER MONTHS. ENGINE RESTARTS WOULD BE HARSH BECAUSE IT WOULD HAVE CONDESAION ON THE CYCLINDER THIS COULD CAUSE THE ENGINE TO BLOW. BROKEN CONNECTING RODS. BLOWN HEAD GASKET ALL SORT OF THINGS COULD HAPPEN FROM HAVING OIL GET TO THE INTAKE MANIFOLD. STARTING FROM 2010 THESE PRIUS SUFFER FROM THIS AND TOYOTA HASNT DONE ANYTHING OTHER THEN SUPPSODELLY REDESIGNING THE INTAKE MANIFOLD. WHICH IS THE SAME. TOYOTA JUST DONT WANT TO DEAL WITH IT.

NHTSA complaint #11104266 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

THE ACTUATORS FOR THE LOCKS ON 3 OF THE DOORS HAVE FAILED OVER TIME. I HAVE REPLACED THE FRONT-DRIVER SIDE ACTUATOR ONCE PREVIOUSLY AND IT STARTED TO FAIL FIRST. WHEN I LOCK THE CAR, I ONLY HAVE ONE DOOR THAT UNLOCKS WHICH IS THE REAR-PASSENGER DOOR. IF IT FAILS, I WILL BE LOCKED OUT OF THE CAR. IT SEEMS WRONG THAT I CANNOT UNLOCK MY CAR WELL. IT SEEMS WRONG THIS HAS FAILED MULTIPLE TIMES ON A 6YR OLD CAR. IT IS DEFECTIVE AND POTENTIALLY UNSAFE.

NHTSA complaint #11098126 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

I RECENTLY HAD A REPAIR SERVICE DONE ON MY PRIUS PLUG-IN, BUT CAN'T IN GOOD CONSCIOUS UNDERSTAND WHY I HAD TO PAY $756 TO GET INTO MY CAR. I PURCHASED MY 2012 TOYOTA PRIUS PLUG-IN IN JULY, 2012. THREE AND A HALF YEARS LATER, I HAD TO HAVE THE DRIVER'S DOOR LOCK ACTUATOR REPLACED @ 51K MILES. LESS THAN TWO AND A HALF YEARS LATER, THE SAME DRIVER'S DOOR LOCK ACTUATOR HAD TO BE REPLACED @ APPROXIMATELY 80K MILES ' IN ADDITION TO ALL THREE OTHER DOOR LOCK ACTUATORS. ROUGHLY SIX MONTHS AGO, THE RIGHT, REAR DOOR LOCK STOPPED WORKING. THEN THE LEFT REAR STOPPED WORKING. THEN THE DRIVER'S DOOR (WHICH WAS NOTICED ON MY LAST SERVICE VISIT). AND FINALLY THE PASSENGER DOOR LOCK. THIS CAR DOES NOT HAVE A KEY TO UNLOCK THE DRIVER'S DOOR, ONLY AN ELECTRONIC FOB. AS A RESULT, I HAVE BEEN CLIMBING THOUGH MY REAR HATCH TO REACH THE RIGHT REAR DOOR LOCK, TO UNLOCK THAT DOOR, TO THEN REACH IN TO THE RIGHT FRONT DOOR LOCK; AT WHICH POINT I CAN OPEN THE RIGHT FRONT DOOR AND REACH OVER TO UNLOCK THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR. NOT ONLY IS THIS RIDICULOUS AND EMBARRASSING, AS I'VE HAD TO DO THIS IN FRONT OF CO-WORKERS, AND CONSULTANTS I'VE HAD TO DRIVE TO MEETINGS WITH AT MY COMPANY, BUT IT'S INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS. I WON'T HAVE MY DAUGHTER OR WIFE DRIVE THE CAR, SINCE THEY CAN'T SAFELY UNLOCK OR ENTER THE CAR. SO HERE I AM, HAVING SPENT $756 TO BE ABLE TO ENTER MY CAR, SINCE THERE IS NO KEY OPTION, AND IN FACT IT'S THE SECOND TIME IN LESS THAN 30K MILES TO REPLACE THE DRIVER'S DOOR LOCK ACTUATOR.

NHTSA complaint #11090142 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

WHEN THE DRIVER DOOR IS OPEN, FULL POWER IS ON, BRAKE PEDDLE RELEASED THE CAR WILL STILL MOVE FORWARD. THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY. THEN STARTED IN MOTION I STARTED TO GET OUT OF CAR BUT STOPPED IT

NHTSA complaint #11065786 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.